At this point, we have traveled to 10 of the 51 National Parks in the Lower 48 states on our electric road trip. That’s about 20 percent of the parks in 13 percent of the 27 weeks we will be on the road. We will spend more time at each park from now on as we reach the great National Parks of the western states.
The first 10 parks included the following:
1. Shenandoah, April 8-9
2. New River Gorge, April 9-11
3. Congaree, April 11-12
4. Dry Tortugas, April 14-15
5 & 6. Biscayne and Everglades, April 15-20
7. Great Smoky Mountains, April 23-27
8. Mammoth Cave, April 27-29
9. Gateway Arch, April 29-30
10. Hot Springs, April 30-May 2
We have now traveled 4,500 miles, spending $258 on Supercharging—about half of what we would have spent on gasoline.
We have now traveled 4,500 miles, spending $258 on Supercharging. That’s about half of what we would have spent on gasoline. A gasoline-powered car getting 30 mpg would have spent about $600 at $4 per gallon.
We have enjoyed Destination Chargers at 9 of the 12 hotels we have stayed in, providing a full “tank” in the morning.
We have enjoyed Destination Chargers at 9 of the 12 hotels we have stayed in, providing both free electrons and a full “tank” in the morning without having to spend time at a charging station during the day.
Finding chargers and time to charge have been non-issues so far.
Finding chargers and time to charge have been non-issues so far.
We have logged 67.2 miles of hiking toward our goal of 1,000.
Park Impressions
We have enjoyed the first 10 parks, with the exception of Congaree, which did not seem to reach the National Park standard in our estimation. Of course, our impression may have been influenced by the time of year and the fact that most of the park was flooded and inaccessible when we visited.
Our favorite new parks were Biscayne and Everglades. Great Smoky Mountains has some of the best trails we have experienced in National Parks.
Our favorite new parks were Biscayne and Everglades.
Great Smoky Mountains has some of the best trails we have experienced in National Parks.
To summarize our impressions of the parks, we have divided them into five categories.
To summarize our impressions of the parks, we have divided them into five categories:
1. Return again and again
2. Go again for specific purpose
3. Loved it, but once was enough
4. Worthwhile to combine with something else or if it’s on the way
5. Don’t bother
1. Return again and again
Shenandoah
Great Smoky Mountains
2. Go again for specific purpose:
New River Gorge (white water rafting)
3. Loved it but once was enough:
Dry Tortugas
Biscayne
Everglades
Mammoth Cave
4. Worthwhile to combine with something else or if it’s on the way
Gateway Arch
Hot Springs
5. Don’t bother:
Congaree
Lodging
For an electric road trip to the National Parks, this is our assessment of lodging options:
For Shenandoah, Skyland is the place to stay, and it includes a Destination Charger and a Level 2 charger.
For New River Gorge, the Morris Harvey House B&B is a great choice and will be even better if they are able to get a Destination Charger installed.
For Congaree, the Aloft Hotel is a good choice and includes access to free Level 2 chargers.
For Dry Tortugas, the Silver Palms is a good choice and includes two Destination Chargers.
For Biscayne and Everglades, the Hilton Garden Inn-Homestead was a good hotel but, like the other options in Homestead, does not yet include a Destination or Level 2 charger.
For Great Smoky Mountains, the Berry Springs Lodge in Sevierville, located away from the crowded tourist areas, was a good choice and included a Destination Charger and a Level 2 charger.
For Mammoth Cave, the Courtyard by Marriott in Bowling Green was an excellent hotel and included Destination Chargers.
For Gateway Arch, there are better choices than the Hampton Inn in St. Louis.
For Hot Springs, the Doubletree by Hilton was an excellent choice and included multiple Destination Chargers.
Best Restaurants
Two restaurants have stood out for their quality so far:
Blue Marlin, Columbia, SC (Congaree)
Seasons 101, Sevierville, TN (Great Smoky Mountains)
Charging
We have enjoyed Destination Chargers at 9 of the 12 hotels we have stayed in, providing both free electrons and a full “tank” in the morning without having to spend time at a charging station.
So far, charging has been almost totally a non-issue, thanks to Destination Chargers, Superchargers, and few well-placed Level 2 chargers. Lessons to date:
1. Charging Time. Charge time is a complete non-issue. Most of the time we have stayed in hotels with Tesla Destination Chargers or Level 2 chargers, giving us a full battery to start the day. Charging during the day is almost always done before we’re done with something else—usually lunch. We thought 250 KW chargers were a lot better on time, but usually it doesn’t matter.
2. Range. Range is an issue. At today’s highway speeds, even a 200-mile leg is close to the limit, while still leaving a 40-50-mile margin. The only way we have a 300-mile highway car is when the speeds are 55-60 mph, which is rare these days. We almost didn’t make it 200 miles between Superchargers in Arkansas. The chart below shows the steep cost in diminished range paid for high speeds. As shown in the blue curve, a Tesla Model 3 with range of more than 300 miles at 65 mph approaches 250 miles at speeds approach 80 mph.
3. Inaccurate Range Estimates. The range issue is exacerbated by the fact that the Tesla range estimator built into the car is inaccurate for travel at highway speeds. On multiple occasions, the range indicator has shown 300 miles, but the range for travel legs at high speeds of 70 mph or higher has been closer to 250 miles or less. This seems like an area where a software update would be useful; it should be possible to provide a more accurate range estimate based on the known highway speeds.
4. Availability of Chargers. In most places, the range issue doesn’t matter because there are so many Superchargers, with Level 2s as a back-up. This will become increasingly so in the coming years as charging networks continue to be expanded. An adaptor allowing Tesla vehicles to use CCS fast chargers would further expand the availability of fast chargers as there are some areas where Superchargers are not available but CCS fast chargers have been deployed by Electrify America, EVGO, and other charging companies.
5. Level 1 Charging. The biggest charging surprise has been that Level 1 charging is more useful than anticipated. Our previous understanding was that Level 1 charging provided only 2-3 miles of range per hour, but we ran an experiment in Texas, and it’s closer to 5 miles per hour. In the right circumstances, when the car is going to be sitting for a while, it can be very useful. Because electric outlets are ubiquitous, Level 1 charging is also the ultimate back-up when other chargers are not available or not operating.
Total Supercharging for the first 10 parks $258.09
Hiking Trails and Other Activities in the Parks
Total Hiking Miles for the first 10 parks 67.2 miles